Heating and displaying cabinet



c. w. KRESS HEATING AND DISPLAYING CABINS! Oct. z 1935.

Filed March 12, 1932 4 sheets sheet l INVENTOR M ATTORNEY I Oct. 22, 1935. c w. KRESS 2,018,024

' HEATING AND DISPLAYING CABINET Filed March 12, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 22, 1935. c. w. KRESS HEATING AND DISPLAYING CABINET Filed March 12, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 z )EiVjNTOR ATTORNEY nn qU mu Oct. 22, 1935.

c. w. KREss 2,018,024

HEATING AND DISPLAYING CABINET Filed March 12, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ll W ATTORNEY 4 Patented Oct. 22, 1935 :EUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE My invention relates to cabinets especially adapted for the attractive display and suitable heating of commodities. v

It is frequently desirable to maintain com- Q modities, such as nuts, pastry and others, dn a heated condition while being exposed for sale and as many commodities are deteriorated by long exposure to a temperature as great as that which they should attain at the time of sale 30 and consumption, it is most advantageous that the reserve stock exposed for sale should be retained at a temperature below that of those commodities at the time of sale.

The device of my invention accomplishes the 13 above and other desirable conditions and presents a means whereby commodities may be attractively exposed for sale and in which the commodities may be subjected to temperatures necessary for the best retention of their propm erties.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating one form of the device of my invention, similar parts are designated by similar numerals.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of :5 a device of my invention.

Figure 2 is a section through the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top view of the upper portion of the-device of Figure 2.

a urFigure 4 is a front view of the device of Fig- Figure 5 is a rear view of the device of Figure The particular form of the device of my ina vention illustrated in the accompanying drawings consists of two casing side members and II having the extended members l2 and 13, the latter members allowing of a space behind the device for the storage of commodities upon the 40 counter, or table, upon which the device rests.

A back casing m'ember l4 extends upwardly from the bottom member and supports a removable downwardly and forwardly tray consisting of the bottom, or'fioor, 16, the sides l1, l8. l3, and 20, the latter resting upon the bottom member 15. Guide plates 21, 2|, spaced from the upper faces of the sides l8 and i9 allow of the slidable removal of the glass plate 22. The bot- 50 tom 16 of this commodity tray has a plurality of recesses 23, 23, the recesses extending into the sides l1 and 20, thus allowing the placement of partitions 24, 24, as desired. The entire commodity tray can be displaced and removed by 55 inserting a finger, or other suitable device through the hole 25,111 the bottom member l5 and moving it upwardly.

Guide plates 26, 26, carried by, and spaced from, the upper faces of the sides Ill and H allow of the slidable removal of the downwardly 5 and forwardly inclined glass plate 21. The upper portion 28 of the glass plate 21 is translucent and has letters 29, 29 printed, or painted, thereon for purposes described later.

The warming element of the device. is con- 10 structed as foliows:

A perforated metal bottom plate 30 has the upturned sides 3|, 3i and a perforated metal top plate 32 has the downwardly turned sides 33, 33. The opposite side portions 35, 35 of the 15 top' plate 32 extend outwardly to rest upon the extended supports 34, 34, fixedly attached to the side members l0 and l I. Supporting strips 36. 36 extend along two sides of the heating element.

A plurality of metal strips 31, 31 extend transversely of the heating element and are separated from the bottom 30 and the top 32 by means of sheets of asbestos 38, 38 The elements of the device are held in unity construction by the screws 39, 39. Lateral movement of the heating unit is prevented by screws 40, 43 passing through holes in the extended members 35, 35 of the top 32 and threaded within holes within the supports 34, 34. 7

Within the casing constructed as above described are a number of electric devices 4i, 4| of any well known suitable construction, such as heaters of the type commonly known as strip heaters. As adequate for my invention, these heating devices are shown in the drawings simply as a seriesof horizontallyzspaced horizontally extending flattened tubular members. These heater members 4!, 4|, are spaced below the top plate 32 and are spaced above the bottom plate 30. Thus air may pass freely upwardly, through 40 the perforated bottom plate 30, around the heat er members 4|, 41, by which it is heated, and through the perforated top plate 32. As speciflc means necessary for the electrical heating of my device is not a part of my invention, and

as it may be greatly varied, I simply describe it as being accomplished through the medium of the electric conduit wires 42, 42 within the cable 43, controlled by a switch 44.

A plurality of rods 45, 45 are removably carried bythe sides i 2 and 13.

Electric light bulbs 46, 46 are positioned below the heating element and behind the translucent portion 28 of the glass plate 21.

It will be noted that commodities placed in 5a the commodity tray can not be removed without removing the glass plates 22 and 21, the upper portion of the device is not thus protected,

and hence commodities placed between or upon the rods 45, are capable of ready removal.

The operation of the device is as follows, assuming that nuts are the commodities displayed:

Loose nuts of various kinds, or bags thereof, are placed in the several compartments of the commodity tray and the glass covers 22 and 21 placed in position as shown. Bags of the nuts are placed upon the top plate 32, between the rods 45, 45, and also may be placed upon these rods, or any other suitable support. The heaters 4|, 4| are then placed into operation and the electric light bulbs 46, 46 illuminated, by means of the switch 41.

It will be noted that, because of the construc tion of my device, the bagged nuts between and upon the rods 45, 45 will be heated considerably higher than those in the commodity tray, a condition of great importance as the continuous high heating of the nuts in the commodity tray prior to disposal will greatly injure their properties, while at the same time it is desirable to have them in heated condition when dispensed.

The letters and words 29, 29 will be made attractively visible through the medium of the elec tric light bulbs 4, 46.

My device, therefore, presents a means whereby commodities may be attractively exposed for --sale, while being desirably heated without undue iniury.

I do not limit myself'to the particular size, shape, number, arrangement or character of the elements of my device as specifically shown and described as these are given simply as a means for clearly describing the device of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a heated displfi cabinet, in combination,

a removable downwardly and forwardly inclined transparent cabinet front,a horizontally extended electrical heating device at an intermediate level in said cabinet and extending horizontally substantially throughout the limits of the cabinet at that level, means spaced above said heating device adapted to maintain commodities in position to be heated by said device, and a downwardly and forwardly inclined tray disposed adjacent said inclined transparent front with its elevated rear portion extending in downwardly spaced relation below the forward portion only of said horizontally extended heating device so that commodities upon said tray will be warmed by said heating device and so that such commodities anywhere upon the tray will be clearly displayed through said inclined transparent front.

2. In a heated display cabinet, in combination, a removable downwardly and forwardly inclined transparent cabinet front, a horizontally extended electrical heating device at an intermediate level in said cabinet and extending horizontally substantially throughout the limits of the cabinet at that level, means spaced above said heating device adapted to maintain commodities in position to be heated by said device, a downwardly and forwardly inclined tray disposed adjacent said inclined transparent front with its elevated rear portion extending in downwardly spaced relation below the forward portion only of said horizontally extended heating device so that commodities upon said tray will be warmed by 5 said heating device and so that such commodities anywhere upon the tray will be clearly displayed through said inclined transparent front, said tray being inclined to the horizontal at a more acute angle than said transparent front while the latter 10 extends at least up to the level of said heating device at the front thereof and along its upper margin is provided with a translucent shield portion, and illuminating means spaced above the rear elevated portion of said tray so as to illumlll nate commodities displayed thereon and beneath the forward portion ofsaid heating device at the rear of said shield so that the latter will screen said illuminating means from the eyes of the observer.

3. In a heated display cabinet, in combination, a downwardly and forwardly inclined transparent cabinet front, a horizontally extended electrical heating device at an intermediate level in said cabinet at the rear of the upper portion of said ll inclined transparent front, means spaced above said heating device adapted to maintain commodities in position to be heated by said device, and a downwardly and forwardly inclined tray disposed adjaoent said inclined transparent front 80 with its elevated rear portion extending in downwardly spaced relation below and with its lower portion extending forwardly beyond said horizontally extended heating device so that commodities upon said tray will be warmed by said 35 heating device and clearly displayed through said inclined transparent front.

4. In a heated display cabinet, in combination, a downwardly and forwardly inclined transparent cabinet front, a horizontally extended electrical 4o heating device at an intermediate level in said cabinet at the rear of the upper portion of said inclined transparent front, means spaced above said heating device adapted to maintain commodities in position to be heated by said device, a down- 45 wardly and forwardly inclined tray disposed adjacent said inclined transparent front with its elevated rear portion extending in downwardly spaced relation below and with its lower portion extending forwardly beyond said horizontally extended heating device so that commodities upon said tray will be warmed by said heating device and clearly displayed through said inclined transparent front, said tray being inclined to the horizontal at a more acute angle than said trans- 55.

parent front while the latter extends at least up to the level of said heating device at the front thereof and along its upper margin is provided with a translucent shield portion, and illuminating means spaced above the rear elevated portion of said tray so as to illuminate commodities displayed thereon and beneath the forward portion of said heating device at the rear of said shield so that the latter will screen said illuminating means from the eyes of the observer.

CLAUDE W. KR-ESS. 

